Frances’ incoming medical cannabis framework is expected to take the final step before it can be signed into law in the ‘coming weeks’.
According to a new report from Paris-based market consultancy Augur Associates, citing ‘several sources close to the process’, the outstanding reimbursement decree has reached the Conseil d’État and is now under review.
The new white paper, published earlier this month (October 2026) and titled France Medical Cannabis: Regulatory Progress & Market Entry Outlook, suggests that the closing consideration for this long-awaited final piece of the regulatory puzzle is expected imminently, though Augur stresses that this latest procedural status has not been publicly confirmed and should be treated as informed market intelligence.
The reimbursement decree is the second of two regulatory packages that are set to complete France’s transition from an extended pilot to a permanent medical cannabis framework.
In July this year, the core ANSM authorisation decree and two accompanying orders on product specifications and cultivation cleared Conseil d’État review and the EU’s technical notification procedure.
This followed confirmation by the French government on January 21, 2026, that the main decree had received the Council’s approval and that its publication would allow the ANSM to begin processing applications but tied the timing to the still-outstanding reimbursement text.
“The decree has progressed substantially during 2026, but its route through the final administrative stages has taken longer than the timetable announced by the government in June suggested,” the report finds.
On June 30, the government told the Senate that the text had been finalised in mid-June, validated by the Ministry of Economy and Finance, and would be transmitted to the Conseil d’État that day, with publication expected after the summer recess.
Augur’s sources indicate the draft ultimately went through the CNAM (la Caisse nationale de l’Assurance Maladie) before reaching the Conseil d’État, consistent with the statutory consultation framework for social-security measures. The additional time also coincided with the recess and the appointment of Mickaël Benzaqui as the new health adviser to the prime minister on July 06.
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HAS hearings planned for October 20 and 21 were postponed in September because the regulatory decree required for the next stage had not been published, Augur notes, adding that a Q1 2027 start for first prescriptions under the permanent framework remains plausible.
Once again, this is contingent on Conseil d’État review, signature, publication and the subsequent HAS evaluation timetable. The report advises operators to plan against a timetable range rather than a single launch date.
The therapeutic scope is unchanged from the draft presented at Cannabis Europa Paris in February 2026, which includes refractory neuropathic pain, pharmacoresistant epilepsy, painful spasticity associated with multiple sclerosis or other central nervous system disorders, refractory oncology symptoms, and advanced palliative situations involving refractory symptoms.
Three cannabinoid profiles are recognised (delta-9-THC dominant, balanced THC/CBD, CBD dominant), raw dried flower is not intended to be admitted, and fast-acting formats are considered only in secure, tamper-proof, non-refillable single-dose cartridges, with inhaled administration expected to rely on a dedicated CE-marked medical device. With this in mind, Augur recommends treating France as a product-by-product regulatory mapping exercise rather than a generic market-access operation.
While the number of participants still involved in the multi-year pilot has continued to decline, dropping from 1,849 patients in September 2024 to an estimated 700, the addressable market still represents a considerable opportunity for operators with a product range suitable for its pharmaceutically-minded framework.
Patient organisations have cited approximately 100,000 people potentially eligible for treatment, while parliamentary discussion has referred to a range of 150,000 to 300,000 patients in therapeutic impasse. Augur’s own 2025 report, projected approximately 100,000 reimbursed patients by 2030, with the potential to grow three to four times by 2035.
“Publication will not mark the beginning of the market-entry process. It will mark the point at which companies can move from preparation to formal regulatory submissions,” the report concludes.
